NBA News and Rumors: Anaheim and 10 Cities That Deserve an NBA Team

NBA News and Rumors: Anaheim and 10 Cities That Deserve an NBA Team

The Sacramento Kings have been contemplating whether or not to move for some time now.

Yesterday, the probability of their actually going through with it increased.

The Sacramento Bee reported yesterday that the team organization met with former player and current mayor of the city, Kevin Johnson.

The Maloof family is actively trying to move the team from Sacramento in order to compete with the rest of the NBA teams.

The article eluded to the Honda Center in Anaheim as the likely destination point. The newer arena has more luxury and club box seats, as well as roughly 300 more regular seats.

With the move to Anaheim looking more and more likely, I thought to look at nine other cities that deserve to have a NBA team in town.

Anaheim, CA

1 of 10

ticketdogs.com

Anaheim is an ever-growing city. It is the home of the Ducks (NHL), Angels (MLB), and Disney Land.

A team can move into the already established Honda Center, where the Ducks currently play. The arena is relatively new, and has plenty of suites to supply clients with high end entertainment.

I think fans will be open to the idea of having another professional team come to the city.

Fans have come out to support the new teams in the area; Anaheim is quickly turning into a bigger and bigger market.

If the Kings were to move here, the Maloofs would be making some extra dough.

Seattle, WA

2 of 10

One of the more recent cities to lose a team is Seattle. The Sonics moved down to Oklahoma City—into the recently built Oklahoma City Arena.

Seattle can only now imagine what the Thunder would look like back in Seattle.

One of the most improved teams this year, the Thunder would have brought a number of fans back to Key Arena.

Key Arena is old, but can still be used as an arena to host an NBA team.

Las Vegas, NV

3 of 10

wired.com

A $1.6 billion stadium complex in Las Vegas could be built soon, according to a report from wired.com.

Las Vegas has been in the mix for getting a number of professional sports to come to town.

The complex would draw countless numbers of fans and tourists who come to Las Vegas each year.

However, the idea of having a team in Las Vegas does not sit well with the general public; it would be a gambler's paradise.

Players would definitely be intrigued by the scenario, though.

Kansas City, MO

4 of 10

When teams talk about moving their franchises to another city, Kansas City always pops up as a possible destination.

The metro area of the city is the home to close to two million people. Kansas City may be the largest city in the country without a pro team.

An interesting scenario would be if the Kings moved back to Kansas City, after having been there from 1972-1985.

Pittsburgh, PA

5 of 10

Pittsburgh is another possible destination for an NBA team.

The only major sports league in which Pittsburgh does not have a franchise is basketball.

Pittsburgh fans flock to Heinz Field to watch the Steelers, and to the brand new Consol Energy Center to watch the Penguins; the Penguins have been in the top of the NHL attendance marks for the past few seasons.

When the sale and move of a current NBA team comes up, Pittsburgh is always another possibility.

The Consol Energy Center only improves the city's chances of getting an NBA team.

Rochester, NY

6 of 10

bluecrossarena.com

Rochester, NY would be an interesting city for an NBA team to move to. Rochester would draw fans from the surrounding areas, including Syracuse and Buffalo.

Both are large markets with a limited number of pro sports teams, and the recently renovated Blue Cross Arena would be very welcoming for a new team.

Perhaps the Rochester War Memorials could return to the NBA.

St. Louis, MO

7 of 10

scottradecenter.com

St. Louis is another city that is home to every major sports league—except the NBA.

The Scottrade Center is a huge arena built to host the St. Louis Blues hockey club, and the 19,000 seat arena would be a perfect-sized NBA arena as well.

St. Louis is definitely up there as one of the biggest markets and cities without an NBA team.

Louisville, KY

8 of 10

The Louisville Cardinals have one of the more spectacular set ups in the country, and they are not even a professional team.

The stadium cost about $238 million to build, and I am sure the University would be willing to share the arena in order to gain some extra revenue.

The large city is home to over one million people; the college town would immediately turn into a pro town if it were to get a team.

Nashville, TN

9 of 10

Rich Lam/Getty Images

Nashville is home to the Predators and the Titans.

Having another winter sport in this town would do well for the NBA.

The Bridgestone Arena, which hosts Predators games, would be a landing spot for a franchise; food, music, parties...basketball.

New York, NY

10 of 10

The Knicks seem to finally be back in New York City. With the addition of Carmelo, the Knicks should sell out and continue to be at the top of the league in attendance numbers.

With the number of people that live in the New York metro area, why not have another team play here?

Los Angeles has two teams; the Clippers are doing decently well in the shadow of the historic Lakers.

Another New York team would do fine, considering that it is one of the largest markets in the world.